Tony-winning composer and lyricist Jason Robert Brown has shared the original demo recording of the opening sequence from his 1995 musical Songs for a New World, his first professional production. The musical number features Broadway performers Andrea Burns, Billy Porter, Brian d'Arcy James and Amy Ryder.

The material was shared via Soundcloud on his blog Oct. 13 and can be accessed here.

By Brown's own admission, "almost no one" saw the show in its New York debut, and the reviews were "polite but dismissive." Thanks to its celebrated cast album and regional productions, Songs for a New World has lived on beyond its Off-Broadway premiere.

Billy Porter

In his blog post, Brown shares his gratitude for the artists that supported the project and his relationship with them throughout his career. "Andréa Burns and I had known each other since summer camp in the 80s, and Billy Porter sang during my shifts in the piano bar at Don’t Tell Mama when he would finish his performances inMiss Saigon; they both were able to stay with the project for its entire development," he says.

"I’ve talked about Amy Ryder a lot on this blog and how much she supported me in my first years in this business and made NY feel like home. And finally, Brian d’Arcy James came in for an audition for a project at Manhattan Theatre Club that I was music-directing, and I immediately grabbed him and got his phone number because I knew I needed him to sing my music," continues Brown.